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Direct Line


Q What's the University's rationale behind continuing to use leaf blowers? They emit fumes, stir up air irritants and create noise pollution.

A The trees, that are such an important part of the beauty of the campus, produce a large volume of leaves. We do not have sufficient labor resources in the Grounds Department to manage the leaves without using blowers and vacuums. Our employees are instructed to be sensitive to the safety of campus pedestrians when using the blowers. Much of our leaf-blowing activity on main campus takes place prior to 8 a.m. Some inconvenience is unavoidable. Grounds employees do wear hearing protection and have all received hearing-protection training. If there is a leaf-collection activity under way during the day, please, help us out by taking a little detour around the work area.

Answer by Kirk Pelland, director of Grounds Services


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